At the 2017 edition of the internationally renowned MIPIM Real Estate event in the French City of Cannes, there was no shortage of Belgian projects that made it into spotlight. One of these was the ‘NIKE European Logistics Campus’ in Laakdal, which won the MIPIM Award in de category ‘Best Industrial & Logistics Development’.

The ‘NIKE European Logistics Campus’ numbers five distribution centres, the latest one of which officially opened its doors at the end of May 2016. It is one of the multinational’s 58 distribution centres across the globe, which all together process 1 billion products a year (footwear, sportswear and equipment). The decision to go with the Belgian Laakdal was among others inspired by its central location. Within a 500 km radius, the distribution centre caters for no less than 60 % of the European spending power. During 2016, a staggering 300 million NIKE products left Laakdal for 38 European and Asian markets. 3000 people are employed here. SMART LOGISTICS / BEST IN CLASS: NIKE EUROPEAN LOGISTICS CENTREThe site run on 100 % renewable energy and is self-sufficient in terms of its own energy requirements. That has been achieved by combining five different sources: wind turbines, solar panels, geothermal power, hydroelectricity and biomass.Ambitious sustainability goals Sustainable innovation, whether in matters of product development or the construction of its distribution centres, has always been central to the NIKE ethos. Bert Moris, Facility Manager Nike European Logistics Campus (ELC): “Our objective is to double our turnover and halve our carbon footprint by 2025! These ambitious sustainability targets go far beyond limiting our CO2 emissions”. Circular economy is a goal, a ‘closed-loop’ manufacturing process that uses fewer raw materials to produce products with a longer useful life.